S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4138
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 2, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  STAVISKY,  GOUNARDES,  KRUEGER, PERSAUD, SALAZAR,
   THOMAS -- read twice and ordered  printed,  and  when  printed  to  be
   committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "higher
   education community service act"

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.    Legislative  findings. The legislature hereby finds and
 declares that the American tradition of volunteer community  service  is
 essential  to  the  common good and is vital to the success  of not-for-
 profit agencies, institutions and  organizations  dealing  with  a  vast
 array of critical social problems. It recognizes growing support for the
 idea that postsecondary students should receive recognition for substan-
 tial  commitment  to  volunteer  service,  and  should  be given greater
 encouragement to participate in volunteer community service  activities.
 Volunteers and volunteer programs should be praised for their efforts in
 helping  and  serving  others,  which  result  in changes in the way the
 community views young people and in the  way  young  people  view  their
 responsibilities to the community.
   The  legislature  further declares its desire to promote further inte-
 gration of community service at  institutions  of  higher  education  by
 encouraging  student-initiated  and student-designated community service
 projects.
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to  read
 as follows:
   §  319.  HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT. 1. SHORT TITLE.  THIS
 SECTION SHALL BE KNOWN AND MAY BE CITED AS THE "HIGHER EDUCATION  COMMU-
 NITY SERVICE ACT".
   2.  ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT.  THERE IS
 HEREBY ESTABLISHED A HIGHER EDUCATION  COMMUNITY  SERVICE  ACT  FOR  THE
 PURPOSE  OF  PROMOTING  AND RECOGNIZING VOLUNTEER SERVICE INVOLVEMENT BY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD06520-01-1

 S. 4138                             2
 
 STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION.  ACTIVITIES  CONDUCTED  UNDER  THE  HIGHER
 EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT SHALL INCLUDE:
   A.  A CAMPUS BASED SCREENING PROCESS TO IDENTIFY AND NOMINATE SUCCESS-
 FUL AND PROMISING COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES FOR  RECOG-
 NITION;
   B.  IDENTIFICATION  OF  EXISTING  QUALITY  COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS,
 PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES INVOLVING POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS THAT PRODUCE A
 SENSE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY;
   C. INCENTIVES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, STUDENTS AND OTHER
 MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN LONG  TERM  COMMUNITY
 SERVICE PROGRAMS;
   D.  ENCOURAGEMENT OF INSTITUTIONS TO FORMULATE A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS TO
 DISSEMINATE INFORMATION CONCERNING PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEER PROJECTS TO THE
 PARTICIPANTS OF GENERAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS ON OR OFF CAMPUS;
   E. ESTABLISHMENT OF A FOUNDATION TO RECEIVE PRIVATE FUNDS TO  BE  USED
 TO  PROMOTE  A  WIDE  VARIETY OF SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS. PRIVATE FUNDS
 SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO DONATIONS, GRANTS AND  FUNDRAISERS;
 AND
   F.  ESTABLISHMENT OF A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM OF IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING
 PILOT PROGRAMS AND ONGOING REVIEW AND EVALUATION.
   3.  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  VOLUNTEER  CONNECTIONS.  THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN
 CONSULTATION WITH THE CHANCELLOR OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY, THE CHANCELLOR
 OF  THE  CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION
 ON INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES  SHALL  DEVELOP  A  PROGRAM  TO
 ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE VOLUNTEER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
 EDUCATION AND THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES.
   4.  COUNCIL  FOR  HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE. A. A COUNCIL FOR
 HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY  SERVICE  SHALL  BE  ESTABLISHED  WITHIN  THE
 DEPARTMENT  FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF CONDUCTING ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO THIS
 SECTION. THE COUNCIL SHALL BE COMPOSED OF ELEVEN MEMBERS,  ONE  OF  WHOM
 SHALL  BE  THE  COMMISSIONER,  EX  OFFICIO,  AND  TEN  OF  WHOM SHALL BE
 APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR: TWO ON THE RECOMMENDATION  OF  THE  TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, TWO ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SPEAKER OF THE
 ASSEMBLY,  ONE  ON  THE  RECOMMENDATION  OF  THE  MINORITY LEADER OF THE
 SENATE, AND ONE ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF  THE  MINORITY  LEADER  OF  THE
 ASSEMBLY.  SUCH  MEMBERS  SHALL  INCLUDE  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE STATE
 UNIVERSITY, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE  INDEPENDENT  COLLEGES  AND
 UNIVERSITIES  OF  NEW  YORK  AND THE NEW YORK CAMPUS COMPACT. TWO OF THE
 COUNCIL MEMBERS SHALL BE STUDENTS, SELECTED BY THE GOVERNOR.  THE  COUN-
 CIL SHALL SELECT FROM AMONG ITS APPOINTED MEMBERS A CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR
 WHO  SHALL SERVE IN OFFICE FOR TERMS OF ONE YEAR AND WHO SHALL BE ELIGI-
 BLE FOR REELECTION FOR SUCCESSIVE TERMS.
   B. THE COUNCIL SHALL OVERSEE THE CREATION OF A STATEWIDE POSTSECONDARY
 COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION REGARDING   EXISTING
 VOLUNTEER  ACTIVITIES,  MAKE  VOLUNTEER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND
 THE COMMUNITIES, INTEGRATE PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE INTO THE CURRIC-
 ULUM, PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND COORDINATION, MONITOR AND EVALUATE  VOLUNTEER
 PROGRAMS  AND  ACTIVITIES  AND  PROMOTE  THE  CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC AND
 COMMUNITY SERVICE.
   C. THE COUNCIL SHALL MEET AT LEAST FOUR TIMES EACH  YEAR.  MEMBERS  OF
 THE  COUNCIL  SHALL RECEIVE NO COMPENSATION FOR THEIR SERVICES BUT SHALL
 BE REIMBURSED BY THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE  FOUNDATION  FOR
 REASONABLE  EXPENSES  ACTUALLY  AND  NECESSARILY INCURRED BY THEM IN THE
 PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
   D. THE COUNCIL SHALL REPORT BY SEPTEMBER FIRST EACH YEAR TO THE GOVER-
 NOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEM-

 S. 4138                             3
 
 BLY ON THE PROGRESS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS SECTION, WITH  RECOMMENDA-
 TIONS FOR FUTURE ACTIVITIES.
   5.  PETITIONING  BY  COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL SHALL, WITHIN NINETY DAYS OF
 ITS APPOINTMENT, PETITION THE REGENTS TO INCORPORATE AS A PRIVATE,  NOT-
 FOR-PROFIT  EDUCATION CORPORATION UNDER THIS CHAPTER, THE NEW YORK FOUN-
 DATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE, TO RECEIVE  FUNDS  TO  BE
 USED  AS  REQUESTED  BY THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT AND ADMINISTER ACTIVITIES
 AUTHORIZED IN THIS SECTION, AND OTHER PROJECTS THAT ENCOURAGE AND ASSIST
 COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES.
   § 3. This act shall  take  effect  on  the  first  of  September  next
 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.